Maryland athletics department teams up with Maroon PR

Maryland has a deal with Maroon PR to work with the school’s athletic department on a number of initiatives, including branding and coaches’ media training, according to school officials.

Maroon is a full-service public relations and marketing company based in Columbia. Its clients include Ripken Baseball, the Sports Legends Museum and Sagamore Racing.

It has become increasingly common for athletic departments to use consultants to aid in marketing and other initiatives.

Maroon will help with media placement, branding and coaches’ media training.

Maryland is trying to maximize ticket sales, particulary for football and men’s basketball -– its two biggest draws. They help support the schools' other teams.

Last November, Maryland president Wallace D. Loh announced his "heart-wrenching" decision to eliminate eight of the university's 27 sports teams due to severe budget issues. He preserved for the teams the longshot possibility of being retained through supporters' fund-raising.